A Time of Thanksgiving

This past week I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. My Granny said “Melissa you haven’t blogged in a long time. You need to blog again.” I logged into my site and it turns out she was right. Apparently I haven’t blogged since July! How is that possible?

So, this blog post is for my Granny, though I hope the rest of you enjoy it as well. Anyone that knows me knows I absolutely adore my grandparents and I listen to what they say (most of the time). One time my grandpa told me he played basketball for the L.A. Lakers (my favorite pro basketball team) and I believed him! He did play for the Lakers but what he left out was that it was a rec team, not the professional team… Anyways, I digress.

One of my favorite things to do is people watching. You can learn a lot just from watching others. Twice recently I had the opportunity to “people watch.” In one instance I knew everyone in the room. In the other instance I knew no one except the friend I had gone on a walk with. However, in both instances I noticed something. How loving our world really is. So often we hear about all of the bad things going on in the world, but I was so encouraged to notice how much people actually love each other.

I was encouraged to see so many families (those I know and those I don’t) talking and enjoying each other’s company. I was encouraged to see friends laughing. And I was encouraged to see children running around playing with one another.

They say this is the most wonderful time of the year and though that might be true, I’m convinced it’s not just like this only in this season. This is just the time of year in which we notice it the most. This is my favorite time of year for many reasons, and I don’t want to take away from that, but I do want to recognize how good our world really is. Yes, bad things happen. Yes, heartbreak is a thing. Yes, sickness occurs. I don’t want to belittle that. However, I do want to recognize the good.

This blog post is titled “a time of Thanksgiving” and there is so much to be thankful for. This season I want to encourage you to think about what you are thankful for. I have so much to be thankful for. I could not simply list every single thing I am thankful for, but I will tell you some of the things I truly am thankful for. I’m thankful for my family. I’m thankful for my friends. I’m thankful for a job that allows me to work at home. I’m thankful that I get to live where I live. I’m thankful for my truck, even though it causes me stress sometimes when it doesn’t want to work… I’m thankful for all of you that read my blog post, even though I tend to ramble sometimes. And most importantly, I’m thankful that I get to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

1 Chronicles 16:34 says “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” During this season, and every season, remember what you’re thankful for. Everyone is going to have their “low moments” and that’s okay, but don’t forget to snap out of it and look at the good. James 1:17 says “every good and perfect gift is from above.” Every good thing comes from God. Every relationship, every meal, every home, everything comes from God. For that, I am truly thankful!

Thank you for your continued support and for reading my blog posts. I pray that God blesses you and your family during this Holiday season. God Bless!